The Crystal of Nix
by JakeFL
Summary: The start of a new school year means many changes for the Ronin Warriors, especially as one of them is now in high school. But when his friends are captured by a mysterious new enemy, it's up to Ryo to save the other four before their armor power is drained from them.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_ is the property of Sunrise. _Ronin Warriors_ is the property of Bandai Entertainment. The enemy that the Ronins confront is my own, but that's about it.

 **Author's Note:** Okay, so most people probably expect this to be an update of Origin of Wonder, so I'm sorry to disappoint. Life kind of got in the way, leading to a long term hiatus for any of my YJ stuff. It will get done, though, I promise.

In the meantime, this has been a long time in the making. Seriously, this story has gone through so many rewrites that I thought I would lose my mind before I finally finished it. But it is completed, so I'll be uploading on a weekly basis. I wanted to get the first chapter up before 2015 ended. Starting next week, because I have to go back to work, you can expect updates every Friday.

Also, please note that, while I'm still addressing the city as Toyama, that will be the only change from the original TV series that sticks. Attack names and virtues will be pulled from the OVAs, as that was much closer to the original Japanese content (and I happen to prefer certain things from the OVAs to the other two versions).

I didn't use a beta for this one (though Marco CoolDude proofread it a bit, despite not knowing much about RW), so any and all mistakes are my own.

* * *

 **The Crystal of Nix  
** **by Jake the Fearless Leader**

 **Chapter** **One  
** " **High School Without the Musical** **"**

The pleasant weather seemed to be mocking the youth of Toyama that morning, just as it usually did on the first day of school. All over the city, children were eating breakfast while teenagers were putting on their uniforms. And the five Ronin Warriors were no exceptions.

The Koji house was bustling with activity. There was a heightened sense of excitement and nervousness in the air as they got all their things together. Mia made sure to be up early, even though she didn't have classes until later. She wanted to prepare the guys a proper breakfast before they headed off. She sighed, again wishing that they could've had more time.

Talpa, the evil Emperor of the Dynasty, had only been defeated a few days ago. While all the Ronin Warriors were happy to be out of the Nether Realm, they now had to adjust to a normal life again. And it wasn't easy. The war had left scars. Sage, Cye, and Kento were having nightmares about the torture sessions Talpa had subjected them to. They wouldn't talk about it, except to each other, but maybe that was for the best. They could help one another through it.

It was a rare moment as they all ate breakfast together. Normally, Rowen couldn't be pried out of bed before noon (not for lack of trying on Sage's part, though - payback for the scissor incident), but even he was excited for the start of a new year. Strata actually did like school. Yes, it would be another new building and new teachers, but at least he'd have Ryo, Sage, and Kento there. Cye was the one who'd be on his own.

Fate, it seemed, had intervened fifteen years ago, as all five Ronin Warriors had been born in the same calendar year. However, due to the way the school system was set up in Japan, the cut-off date was somewhere towards the end of March. So Cye was the youngest student in his grade and a full year ahead of the other Ronins. The fact that he had passed the entrance exams with everything that had happened still amazed him, but at least it meant he got to attend school in Toyama. If they couldn't be in the same school for a year, at least they were in the same city.

As soon as breakfast was over, it was time to go. Rowen and Cye lingered for a bit in the kitchen, though, while the other three went to grab their bags and Mia to make sure her own things were in order. There were a couple of last minute details that the two of them needed to discuss in private.

"You made sure to take your pills this morning, right?" asked Rowen, his tone quiet and serious.

"Yes, and I don't take them again until just before dinner," Cye responded.

"And if you feel antsy at all during class?" Rowen questioned next.

"Ask for a water break. Rowen, I know. This isn't anything new," said Cye, rolling his eyes.

"I know, but it's a new school, and you won't have Faith there to back you up. I just wanna make sure you're gonna be okay," said Rowen.

They'd been having this talk for a few days now. Rowen had been hovering since he'd been rescued from Talpa's castle, waiting to see if the oldest Ronin would snap. But while Cye had been a bit more jumpy than normal, he was doing remarkably well. Rowen had made sure to bring both his own medication and Cye's into the Dynasty when he and Ryo had launched their rescue mission. As soon as they'd had some time alone, Strata had insisted Cye take the pills under his careful eye. And Cye couldn't have been more grateful. The last thing he wanted was the others finding out just how much of a freak he actually was.

There was just no denying it - having ADHD sucked.

Once Rowen was satisfied, the two joined the others by the front door. The five said goodbye to Mia and started the walk to school. Well, they _were_ able to run until they got to the city limits, which saved them a lot of time. But they couldn't risk it around people, as the additional speed their armor granted them would arouse suspicion. So they walked several blocks together until they came to the point where they had to split up, Cye taking the street that would lead to the high school and the other four continuing towards the junior high.

When he reached the school, Cye stood outside for a moment. He stared at the building, then turned his gaze to the other students lingering outside. They were about to become his classmates, but he knew none of them would accept him, not once they learned what he was. It's not like he had more than two friends back in Yamaguchi.

The full weight of the transfer hit him as the entered the school and headed towards his classroom. For the first time since he was in second grade, he was alone. He had gotten so used to seeing that familiar head of ebony hair, tied back in a long braid that usually ended up pulled over her shoulder, and exotic pink eyes that lit up when she saw him. But Faith wasn't here, and neither were the guys. He'd have to suffer through the year by himself.

As it was the first day of school, homeroom served mostly as an orientation of sorts. The teacher took attendance and told them what to expect out of their classes. She also started going into details about the various clubs that the school offered. Cye only half-listened, knowing that he wasn't going to be participating in any clubs. It was hard enough to maintain his grades without any extra-curricular activities.

The first class of the day was Literature, which in a way was a good thing. While it was the class that Cye was dreading the most, at least it would be over with quickly. He wouldn't have it hanging over his head for the rest of the day. The teacher, Miss Oshiro, started off by writing on the board before turning to address the class.

"This year, we are going to be reading works by many brilliant authors all over the world. You will be studying poems by Archibald MacLeish, novels by Gaston Leroux, and plays by William Shakespeare. You will be tested on everything you read, and you will be expected to write papers on the material showing how well you comprehend it. Let's take a look at this quote, for example." She glanced down at the sheet of paper on the desk that must have been the class roster. "Cye Mouri? Would you please read it aloud for us?"

Cye cringed instantly. He really should have been expecting this, but he knew that his mom had been on the phone with the school throughout the previous week. Lot of good that did now. Biting his lip, he gazed up at the board.

 _If you brick us, bo me not dleeb?  
_ _If you tickle us, bo me not laugh?  
_ _If you boison us, bo me not bie?  
_ _Anb if you mrong us, shall me not revenge?_

 _-_ The Werchant of Venice  
Act 3, Scene 1

Cye groaned internally. There was no escaping it. Everyone was about to know. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I can't."

The murmuring started right away, as he knew it would. He caught Miss Oshiro's look of realization as he averted his eyes, slinking back into his seat. She brought the class back to attention and called on another student, but it was too little, too late. The damage was done.

He'd just have to get used to once again being the class freak.

* * *

Lunch time - Kento's absolute favorite part of the school day. Classes were, for the most part, boring, with maybe the exception of gym. And with how much Kento adored food, none of his friends were too surprised when he ended up beating the other three Ronins to the courtyard.

They had selected a spot to meet early on when they first arrived at the school, knowing that they were going to be in separate classrooms. As an interesting coincidence, Ryo and Sage had been assigned to the same class, and Kento and Rowen would be in the same room together. Lunch was the only time all four of their schedules matched, so they decided to take advantage of it.

"I still don't get it. We saved the world from an evil Dynasty demon, so why do we need to go to school?" complained Kento, continuing the argument from the previous night.

"Because as far as the Mortal Realm's concerned, it never happened," Sage replied patiently.

"Besides, we all wanna get good jobs when we're older, right? Getting into a good high school and getting a degree once we graduate can make the difference between working behind the counter at a fast food join or being made vice president of a bank," said Rowen.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kento muttered.

Ryo laughed, shaking his head. It always amazed him how well the five of them got along, even though they were so different. A lot of it, he knew, came from their shared experiences as the Ronin Warriors, but sometimes he wondered if it was more than that. Had some other great force in the universe led them to each other?

"I wonder how Cye's doing," he voiced quietly.

The other three shared glances. They all knew Ryo had a tendency towards paranoia, as they had all seen it at one time or another. They couldn't always stop him from panicking, but that didn't stop them from trying.

"I'm sure he's fine," said Sage.

"Yeah, he can handle himself," added Kento. "I wouldn't worry."

Rowen nodded in agreement, but in truth, there was a reason to be concerned. There was no question that Cye could handle himself in a battle, but school was one of his weaknesses. His ADHD and dyslexia had crippled his confidence in his ability to do well academically, and it hadn't helped his social skills, either. During the war with Talpa, Rowen had tried a couple of times to get Cye to tell the others about his disabilities, but Torrent kept refusing. He was terrified the guys would abandon him. Rowen knew that would never happen, but he went along with Cye's decision.

"We should start heading back. It's just about time for our next classes," said Sage suddenly, glancing at his watch.

"Ah, man! Why can't lunch be longer?" Kento complained loudly.

Ryo laughed. "Relax, Kento. It's only a couple more hours."

"Yeah, then you can spend the rest of the day filling that black hole you call a stomach," added Rowen with a joking grin.

Kento grumbled in response.

* * *

A little ways outside of Toyama was a mountainous region, surrounded by a dense forest. The thick trees covered most of the land, so it was easy to open a gate here without alarming the humans.

There were also many caves here, some with deep caverns that ran underneath the Earth. It was one such cave that appealed to the man in the golden armor, and so it was here he set up his lair. It wasn't really much to look at. Just a simple metallic cage in one corner, large enough to hold ten full grown men. And it was unbreakable, as it was made by the best metal smiths the Five Realms had to offer.

But the main attraction was placed in the very center of the space. A ritual alter had been prepared, surrounded on all sides by eight differently colored candles - white, pink, green, yellow, blue, purple, red, and black. On the alter sat the most exotic crystal in creation. It was quite large and featured a jagged surface, but it was a beautiful sight to behold, due to it's unique color pattern - swirling shades of purple and fuchsia, with some indigo and dark green flecks.

It was this crystal that tied the plan together. The man in the golden armor needed it to get what he desired.

There was just one thing missing.

Well, _five_ things, really.

"And now, for the mystical armors..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_ is the property of Sunrise. _Ronin Warriors_ is the property of Bandai Entertainment. The enemy that the Ronins confront is my own, but that's about it.

 **Author's Note:** Sorry this is a little late, but I've had a hectic week. Appendicitis. Yeah. Not kidding. Fortunately, I'm okay now. Thank God I had the foresight to have this story fully typed up and ready to go before posting. Now, it's just a matter of editing.

Again, Marco CoolDude did some proofing, but otherwise, this chapter is un-betaed.

* * *

 **The Crystal of Nix  
** **by Jake the Fearless Leader**

 **Chapter** **Two  
** " **The Golden Samurai** **"**

For Cye, the weekend couldn't have come soon enough. It hadn't taken long for the rumors to start flying around the school, especially after what happened in Literature that first day. Miss Oshiro had pulled him aside to apologize for putting him on the spot, and while he knew it wasn't her fault, he couldn't help blaming her. Up until that moment, he actually stood a chance of making some friends. But now his classmates averted their eyes when they saw him coming and generally went out of their way to avoid him.

In one day, he'd gone from being invisible to being a freak. That had to be some kind of record.

The other four Ronins, not surprisingly, had a better week. Ryo and Kento manage to stay under the radar. Rowen, being the super genius that he was, had all ready left quite an impression with his teachers. As for Sage, not only had he become eye candy to nearly every girl in junior high, but the entire kendo club was harassing him daily. Apparently, word got out that the heir to the prestigious Date clan had transferred into the school. And the club's president figured they'd need all the help they could get during competition season.

"I think I'm gonna say yes, if only to get them off my back," Sage had confided in them as they were all walking home Friday afternoon.

Saturday was a welcomed break, even if it meant they were stuck dong homework. And knowing how self-conscious Cye was about his disabilities, Rowen came up with a plan for the two of them to do their homework together by the lake. It kept him away from the prying eyes of the other members of their household while simultaneously putting him near his element, which always soothed the older teen when he was stressed.

Out of the five Ronin Warriors, Cye and Rowen had known each other the longest. They had been born in different parts of Japan, separated by nearly four and a half hours travel time. Then, Rowen's father had gotten a request from a small university in Yamaguchi, asking that he assist with their research. So the Hashibas had packed up and moved. For Rowen, it meant transferring in the middle of the school year, which was hard on any kid, let alone a second grader.

Fortunately, their new home was right across the street from the Mouris. The two families had hit it off right away, and so the two boys were constantly together. At that time, Cye had been dealing with his ADHD for two years and had just been diagnosed as dyslexic, so his self-esteem had taken a serious blow. But Rowen, knowing how it felt to be different, was empathetic and refused to shy away from him like so many others did. And in turn, Cye stayed by Rowen throughout all the taunting and name-calling. The boys were also supportive during their rough family times. When Takashi Mouri died, Rowen stayed close and tried to come up with different ways to take Cye's mind off the grief. In turn, Rowen would stay with the Mouris when his parents started fighting, and Cye was the first person he confided in when they finally told him they were getting a divorce.

After things settled down and custody was worked out, Genichirou Hashiba decided to take his son and move back to Osaka, so Cye and Rowen lost contact. It therefore came as a pleasant surprise when they met up again in Toyama after becoming Ronin Warriors. They had told the others about their connection, but agreed to keep certain things to themselves, like Torrent's learning disabilities.

Rowen glanced up from his math book as he listened to Cye's increasing groans of frustration. Dyslexia struck again, from the looks of it. From the expression on his face, the older Ronin was getting ready to throw the book right into the lake. "Need a break?" Rowen asked, keeping his tone casual.

"Definitely," Cye said as he dropped the novel next to him without marking the page. It didn't matter. He had no idea what he'd been reading anyway. The more he tried, it more the letters kept jumping all over the page.

He stood up and stretched, moving closer to the water. The two Ronins had situated themselves on the dock, something Cye was incredibly grateful for. Something about being near the water always helped clear his head and allowed him to think. Granted, it usually worked better when he was fully submerged, but just being near the lake worked in a pinch.

"You know you don't have to finish it today, Cye," reminded Rowen.

"Yeah, but I'd rather not have it hanging over my head tomorrow,' Cye said, sitting back down and picking up the book. "Let's just get it done."

"Okay, if you're sure," Rowen said with a shrug.

It took a while, due to both the amount of work and Cye's having to stop every so often, but they both managed to finish their homework by late afternoon. They returned to the house and put their books away before tracking down where the others had gotten to. They came across Sage and Kento first, the both of them sitting in the living room, channel surfing.

"Mia and Ryo went to pick something up for dinner," Sage told them before Torrent and Strata even had the chance to ask. "They left about five minutes ago."

"I hope they get back soon. I'm starving!" exclaimed Kento, throwing his head back against the couch.

Cye laughed. "So what else is new?"

"Yeah, it's amazing you're not the size of a house by now," Rowen joked.

"Hey! Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite. Besides, I get plenty of exercise, thank you very much," Kento said indignantly. He look up at Cye. "Speaking of which, what d'ya say we get a little sparring in before dinner?"

"I suppose," said Cye with a slight shrug. He may not enjoy fighting as much as Kento did, but after hours of sitting still, he was feeling antsy. Must have been the ADHD. It was almost time for his meds.

And from the look Rowen was giving him, he knew it, too. Even as Kento jumped up and raced out of the room towards the backdoor, Cye shot the youngest Ronin a look of what he hoped was innocent confusion. Rowen shook his head in response, a grin on his face.

"Uh, hey, guys! You're gonna want to see this!"

The three Ronins shared brief looks of wariness before rushing to the back of the house. Kento stood frozen in the doorway, and now they could see why. Just outside was what appeared to be a small army. The soldiers were dressed in bronze armor and brandishing some deadly blades.

"Whoa, where did they come from" wondered Sage.

"Don't know, but it looks like the Dynasty's not as defeated as we thought," said Cye.

"We better take care of this quickly before Ryo and Mia get back. To arms!" called out Rowen, leading his friends to action in Wildfire's absence.

The four Ronins pulled out their armor orbs and donned their sub-armors. Without another word, they charged into the fray, each taking a separate corner of the battlefield.

Sage launched his first assault, taking a bronze soldier by surprise and causing it to fall over. Another one quickly took it's place. He blocked the hit smoothly with his lower arm, retaliating by swiftly kicking it's legs out from under it. Two more soldiers came at him from opposite sides. Sage leaped into the air and slammed the first in the face guard with his fist. He grabbed the fallen soldier's weapon, slashing at the second soldier. With a painful grunt, the bronze armor crumbled into pieces on the grass.

Rowen, meanwhile, had quickly found himself surrounded and decide to use his element to gain the upper hand. He leaped into the air, away from the group that had trapped him, and landed a strong hit with both feet on a soldier who had been heading for Cye. With that one down, he turned back to the soldiers he'd escaped from as they were advancing on him again. Rowen didn't give them a chance to surround him again, punching his way through their ranks as they got close to him.

Nearby, Cye found himself in a similar situation. He had been fighting one of the bronze soldiers when he sensed another one coming up behind him. There was no time to think, and so instinct took over. Cye threw himself forward, and the two soldiers, both of whom had been aiming for the Ronin, slashed each other. They collapsed in a mess of armor parts. Taking a brief moment to catch his breath, Torrent launched a new assault on the next set of soldiers.

As for Kento, he was having no trouble keeping his enemies on their toes. He launched a series of physical strikes, never targeting the same soldier twice. He kicked one to the ground, punched another square in the chest plate, nailed one behind him with his elbow while simultaneously blocking a hit with his other arm from a soldier in front of him. He kicked another soldier in the chest, using it as a springboard to spring himself into the air.

Cye barely had a moment to breath after finishing up with one soldier before he once again sensed another coming up behind him. A quick glance over his shoulder told him he couldn't hesitate. He leaped up, backflipping over his opponent. The soldier skidded to a halt, but couldn't get away. Cye grabbed it and spun it around, letting go at the last second to allow the momentum of the toss to send it into a nearby tree.

Rowen grabbed a soldier by the arm and punched it directly in the center of it's torso, knocking it away. He immediately turned and kicked down another soldier before swiftly ducking to avoid a third. He left that one alone for the moment, going after the more immediate threat.

Sage flipped a soldier onto it's back to incapacitate it before striking down a soldier coming at him from his left. He grabbed a fallen weapon and stabbed the bronze menace at his feet, causing it to fall apart. With another one down, he was able to survey the battlefield and see if they had even made a dent.

Cye had the same idea, but his respite came to an early end as another soldier attacked him. He reacted quickly, grabbing it by both arms and sending it spinning to the ground. Torrent didn't give it a chance to recover. He grabbed the soldier's spear and ran it through with it's own weapon.

Kento ran towards three advancing bronze soldiers. Leaping into the air, he kicked the nearest one in the chest plate. The other two, unable to stop in time, were hit by their fellow soldier, and so all three went down. Kento gazed around, looking for his next opponent.

Rowen and Cye, in the midst of fighting, suddenly found themselves back-to-back and surrounded by soldiers. "Where do they keep coming from?" asked Cye, frustrated by the numbers.

"They're worse than Talpa's goons," Rowen agreed. "Heads up!"

The soldier charged towards the two Ronins. They worked together, taking out several of the things with united strikes.

On the other side of the field, Sage continued to hold his own. He took out one soldier with a punch followed by a kick. Two more took it's place. Halo dodged out of the way of their weapons and grabbed one of the many weapons from a defeated soldier. He charged forward, slashing away at his two opponents and taking out a third in the process. All three crumbled into armor parts.

In a bright flash of white light, the soldiers suddenly vanished. Even the fallen pieces of armor were gone. Besides for the presence of the four Ronin Warriors, there were no signs that a battle had just taken place.

"Something weird is going on" Rowen observed.

"Gee, ya think?" snapped Kento impatiently.

"Why would they just disappear like that?" wondered Cye.

"And more importantly, who sent them?" Sage posed.

"That would be me, Ronin."

The four spun around, back on the defensive. Standing not ten feet from them was a man in golden armor. He had to be at least seven feet tall, though that was about all they could tell about him. His armor covered every part of him. He was even wearing a face guard on his helmet, which at the very least gave them a clear view of his sneering grin and his strange eyes - a glinting mix of green and gold.

"Who are you?" demanded Rowen.

"I am Goruda, the Golden Samurai," he responded. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ronin Warriors, and to see that mystical armor of yours for myself. I've coveted them for so long."

"Yeah? Well, you're nuts, pal, if you think we're just gonna let you take our armors!" exclaimed Kento.

"Oh, I fully expect a fight from you, boy. In fact, I'm looking forward to it," Goruda said as he unsheathed his own very impressive golden blade.

"I don't think he's gonna back down," warned Cye.

"Then we better step it up," said Sage. " _Armor of Halo!_ "

" _Armor of Torrent!_ "

" _Armor of Hardrock!_ "

" _Armor of Strata!_ "

The four Ronins donned their full armors in a flash of ribbons. Goruda watched, pleased by the result of his threat.

"Yes… that's it… that's the power I desire…. and now, it is _mine_."

The Ronins, now fully armored up and having no idea they'd just played right into their enemy's hand, prepared to attack. "All right, guys. Let's get him!" cried Rowen, leading the charge forward.

But something was wrong. Cye sensed it right away, slowing down as he followed his friends into battle. There was something about the way Goruda was raising his sword that seemed off. Not to mention the cocky grin and the weird way his eyes were now glowing.

And just like that, he knew without a doubt that this was a trap.

"No, wait! Stop!" Cye called out, hurrying to stop his friends.

It was too little, too late. Goruda began to cackle as he unleashed golden energy beams from his sword, ensnaring each of the Ronin Warriors. The four had little time to react as they were overpowered by the beams and transported away.

Pleased with his success, Goruda spared one glance around the now barren field. There was nothing left. When Wildfire returned from his trip, he would have no idea what happened.

Just as Goruda had planned it.

And with that last thought, the Golden Samurai disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_ is the property of Sunrise. _Ronin Warriors_ is the property of Bandai Entertainment. The enemy that the Ronins confront is my own, but that's about it.

 **Author's Note:** Late again. I have no excuses this time. So let's just jump right into it, shall we?

Thanks again to Marco CoolDude for helping me proof this chapter at the last second. You're a lifesaver, buddy.

* * *

 **The Crystal of Nix  
** **by Jake the Fearless Leader**

 **Chapter** **Three  
** " **Goruda's Plot** **"**

The situation in which the four Ronins found themselves in was far from ideal. The cave was dark, offering very little light beyond the candles that lined the walls. The teens had to wait for their eyes to adjust before they could make out their surroundings. Once that happened, though, they really wished it hadn't.

They were locked up in a large, metallic cage set deep into the corner of the cave. Kento had all ready tried to bust through the bars with no luck. Not much of a surprise, but as Rowen pointed out, it was worth a shot. The cage itself offered plenty of space, so that was at least a plus. They had room to move around without having to return to their sub-armors.

But it was the alter that drew their eyes, specifically the crystal that was placed upon it. It was a beautiful centerpiece, to be sure, and clearly not of the Mortal Realm. Whatever it was meant for, the Ronins could tell it didn't mean anything good for them. The eight colored candles surrounding it didn't look to promising, either, especially since they had yet to be lit. This had to be part of some spell Goruda was planning to cast.

And speaking of Goruda, their captor suddenly approached them. He was smirking in amusement. "Enjoying your stay, Ronin Warriors?"

"Hey, you better let us out of here, pal, if you know what's good for you," said Kento angrily.

"Empty threat, Hardrock. You can't do anything to me from inside that cage," sneered Goruda.

"What do you want, Goruda?" asked Sage, getting straight to the point. "You wouldn't have gone through the trouble of capturing us if you just wanted us out of the way."

"Very good, Halo. You're quite right. If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't even be having his conversation," Goruda admitted. "The reason I brought you here has more to do with the power you wield rather than the threat you pose."

"We all ready told you that you're not taking our armors," Kento reminded him.

"I don't want the armors themselves, just the mystical energy they contain," explained the Golden Samurai. He began to pace before their cage. "The armors created by the Ancient One are incredible, but only because of the power they hold. Power that will soon belong to me, once I drain it out of your armors."

"What? No way!" gasped Rowen. "The only way to separate the power from our armors would be to use -"

"- Nether Spirits?" Goruda finished, anticipating that response. "It's actually not impossible to do so without them, just highly unlikely. Very few things have the capability to drain magical energy. Talpa was the ruler of the Nether Realm and, therefore, had access to the only beings with this ability. I, on the other hand, had no such connections, and so I had to travel far and wide in order to find this."

Goruda turned away from the Ronins to indicate the alter. The teens immediately knew he was talking about the strange crystal.

"Behold - the Crystal of Nix!"

"Nyx? Like the Greek Goddess of Night?" Cye questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Different spelling. As for whether or not it shares any connection to the myth, I really don't care," said Goruda with a shrug. "All that matters is that once these eight candles are lit, the Crystal will start to absorb the mystical power of your armors. And that includes any special abilities you've acquired from them." He leered as he let out a dark chuckle. "It won't hurt, but you'll definitely feel it as your bodies become weaker."

The fact that it wouldn't be as painful as Talpa's sadistic creation of Daala's sword did noting to sooth them.

"Why are you doing this? Just to use our power to conquer the Mortal Realm?" demanded Rowen.

Gorurda scoffed. "Hardly. I could care less about your realm, or any realm, for that matter. All I want is power. Ever since my sixteenth year, I've had but one desire - to become the most powerful Caster who ever lived. I have done much to obtain the power I have now, but it's not enough.

"And then, I began to hear stories. Tales of the five mystical armors of the Ronin Warriors. How teenagers from the Human World, of all places, had the power to destroy the Emperor of the Dynasty. The magic within these armors is extraordinary… and yet, it's wasted on you Mundane children."

"Big talk, coming from a guy who has to lock us up just to take our powers," taunted Kento.

"The cage is simply a precaution. Think of it as an insurance policy. Can't have any of you running away now, can I?" said Goruda.

"What makes you think that crystal's going to work?" wondered Sage.

"The Crystal of Nix is an ancient artifact. The legends have been passed down from parent to child for centuries among my people," Goruda told them. "It was created solely for the purpose of draining the mystical power of out anything, and that is precisely what it's going to do to you."

Cye's grip on the cage bars tightened as he shot a fierce glare at Goruda. "You're not going to get away with this."

"That's where you're wrong, Torrent. I all ready have." Goruda met the oldest Ronin's glare with a smug grin. "All that's left is for me to light the candles."

With that, the Golden Samurai turned to face the alter. He focused his gaze upon the eight wicks, concentrating solely on setting them ablaze all at once. No need to do it one at a time. It would just take too long. The sooner the candles were lit, the sooner the power of the Ronin Armors would be his. And so he began to mutter the incantation.

" _Dosta i_ _velca_."

"What did he say?" asked Kento in confusion.

"I don't know," said Rowen, "but that wasn't any language I recognize."

Sage nodded in agreement. Cye didn't acknowledge the conversation going on around him. Like Goruda, he, too, was staring at the candles, though the look on the Ronin's face was more worried.

A flash of fire instantly caught the attention of everyone in the cavern. Eight flames suddenly came into existence on the candle wicks, as though summoned by an invisible force. The flames began to change color right away, mimicking the hue of their candles' wax. The display had stunned the four Ronin Warriors, but Goruda seemed satisfied. He turned back to his prisoners, a triumphant gleam in his cold golden-green eyes.

"And that's that. It won't be long now. And then, your power will be mine."

"Guys, we gotta get out of here before our armors are drained," said Sage.

"Sorry, that's not going to happen," Goruda snickered.

"We're going to stop you, Goruda, one way or another. There's no way we're just gonna let you take away our powers," warned Rowen.

"Oh? And how do you intend to do that? Did you forget the four of you are trapped inside a cage you can't break out of?" mocked Goruda.

"We won't have to do anything," said Cye. "You just pointed it out yourself - there's only four of us here. You missed one."

Goruda didn't respond to that simple fact, possibly because he was all ready aware. However, the other three had to admit that Cye was bringing up a very good point.

"Ryo's still out there. He's going to come for us," Cye declared fiercely.

The Golden Samurai began to smirk again, even in the face of the Ronin's defiance. Their faith in their leader was of little use to them now.

"I know," he said finally. "I'm counting on it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_ is the property of Sunrise. _Ronin Warriors_ is the property of Bandai Entertainment. The enemy that the Ronins confront is my own, but that's about it.

 **Author's Note:** Actually on time this week, which is awesome. Now let's see if I can keep this trend going.

Marco CoolDude, what can I say, man? Taking the time out of our scheduled Harry Potter plot discussion to proofread this chap so I could post it tonight. I owe you one about a dozen favors at this point, I think.

* * *

 **The Crystal of Nix  
** **by Jake the Fearless Leader**

 **Chapter** **Four  
** " **The Challenge"**

 _Damn it, the Dynasty couldn't have waited another hour? Even just holding off a few more minutes would have been helpful._

Ryo's train of thought had been stuck on this point for a while. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be letting it go any time soon, unless something else distracted him. With any luck, that distraction would come in the form of whichever evil overlord was responsible for this.

It was dusk now, nearly an hour and a half since Ryo and White Blaze had run into the woods to start their search. He'd offered to go with Mia to the nearest grocery store, which had taken them all of forty-five minutes. By the time they returned, the remaining Ronins were nowhere to be found. Ryo right away knew something was wrong. Kento wouldn't leave so close to dinner. He may have gone out back to spar with one of the others, but that was about it. And Sage, Cye, and Rowen all would have left a note or at least tried to call Mia's cellphone. But there was nothing - no notes, no voicemail, not even a text.

The guys were just gone.

At first, there seemed to be no clues as to where they went or what had happened. Mia suggested that it didn't necessarily mean anything bad, though Ryo could tell by her tone she didn't believe that for a minute. That was when White Blaze showed up, roaring from the back of the house to get their attention. Ryo had rushed outside to see what the tiger had found and saw almost immediately what he'd overlooked before in his brief glimpses earlier.

Footprints. A lot of them. And imprints in the dirt. Crushed grass. A dented tree trunk.

Signs of a battle.

Ryo clenched his fists. He let his anger fuel him, just as he had done back in the Dynasty when he and Rowen were fighting their way to Talpa's castle. Anger, he had learned, kept the panic at bay, especially when he couldn't afford it. His friends were in trouble. Ryo was the only one who could help them. There was no way he was going to let them down.

He let his gaze wander over to the opposite path where White Blaze was. The Ronins' faithful companion was on high alert for any sign of danger, just as Wildfire himself was. He'd decided to change into his sub-armor upon entering the forest, knowing that the likelihood of an ambush was high. If he was captured, then they were all screwed.

"Nothing yet, huh, White Blaze?" Ryo said, finally breaking the silence.

The white tiger turned to look at him. His eyes were so doleful that Ryo couldn't resist going over to scratch his head.

"It's okay, boy," he said gently, confidently. "We'll find them." Ryo was determined to do it, too, even if it meant staying out all night. He could sleep once the guys were safe.

White Blaze's posture changed so suddenly that it caught Ryo off guard. He was crouching in a defensive position, his fangs bared as he growled menacingly. Realizing that the tiger had sensed something, Ryo shifted instantly into a fighting stance as he scanned the area. This had to be what he was searching for.

"All right, I know you're there! Come out and face me!" he challenged.

A dark cackle echoed in the forest around him. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. No way to tell where his enemy was hiding.

"I have no intention of hiding from you, Ryo of the Wildfire. But I think that even you would be cautious when facing the unknown."

"Unknown, huh? You seem to know exactly who I am," Ryo retorted angrily.

"Your reputation certainly does proceed you, Ronin," the voice conceded. "However, the unknown I was referring to was your armor. Supposedly, it's the Wildfire that can absorb the power from any of the other eight. That makes you quite a force to be reckoned with."

Ryo's glare darkened as he gazed into the shadows around him. This stranger knew about the Armor of Inferno. He knew about the Ronin Armors. The Warrior of Fire knew now, without a doubt, this was the one responsible fore the guys going missing.

"Where are my friends, demon?" he shouted. "If you've hurt them -"

The voice began to cackle again, cutting off the rest of his threat. "I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd figure it out so quickly. Yes, I have taken the other four Ronin Warriors as my prisoners. But I wouldn't worry about them at the moment, not when you're the one in trouble."

"Huh?" asked Ryo quietly in confusion, but a rustling in the bushes around him told him everything he needed to know.

Dozens of soldiers surrounded the Ronin and the tiger, all sporting the same bronze color scheme. Ryo's eyes darted quickly between them. The different weapons they were carrying looked deadly.

"Be careful, White Blaze," he cautioned as the tiger growled menacingly besides him.

A soldier made the first move as it charged forward. Wildfire was more than ready, though, dealing it a swift kick to knock it over. Two more soldiers tried the same tactic, and Ryo took care of them in a similar manner. Sensing another coming up behind him, the Ronin dashed forward to give himself more room before turning to face his opponent. This one, at least, had the idea to use it's sword. Ryo ducked the blade and kicked the soldier's legs out from under it. He grabbed the fallen weapon and threw it into two more soldiers like a javelin, amazingly stabbing them both straight through simultaneously.

Ryo was surrounded now on all sides. He could hear White Blaze battling the soldiers close by, but never let his concentration drift long enough to pinpoint exactly where. Instead, he let his instincts take over. He lashed out at a soldier that moved in close, forcing it to retreat. Another soldier swung it's weapon at his head, but Wildfire ducked down to avoid the blow. He set his sights on the soldier directly in front of him, landing a solid punch in it's chest plate. A fourth soldier had come up right behind it, but it didn't fare much better. Ryo used his forearm to block the assault of the blade before kicking it down and claiming it's weapon.

More soldiers rushed at him. He ducked fast out of the way as one of them swung wildly. Ryo decided to make good use of the sword he was wielding and tore into the soldiers with it. Two went down without ever seeing him coming. The Ronin spun around and took out the soldier right behind him just as fast. The next one he faced seemed to have caught on to his strategy because it parried Ryo's strike with it's own blade. Thinking quickly, he used his free hand to grab the offending sword, wrenching it away from the soldier. He jabbed both blades into the bronze armor, watching as it fell. Feeling more confident now with two swords, he fought off another oncoming soldier.

On the other side of the clearing, White Blaze held his own. The tiger was leaping swiftly from soldier to soldier, his massive claws knocking them down. The soldiers didn't seem to know what to make of him. Rather than charge all at once, they kept up a one-at-a-time assault while the rest encircled the fighters. Had he been able to, White Blaze would have certainly been laughing at them. This was nothing more than target practice for the tiger.

Meanwhile, Ryo's dual-wielding skills had severely left a dent in the soldiers' ranks. He spun the blades around in a circle, cutting down two more of the bronze-armored nooks. Finally, there was an opening. Wildfire gladly took it, running across the clearing to White Blaze. Together, they finished off the remaining few soldiers.

"Enough!"

There was a bright flash of white light that temporarily blinded the boy and the tiger. By the time it cleared, the soldiers were gone. In their place stood a tall man in golden armor, wearing an arrogant smirk and sporting a wicked gleam in his golden-green eyes.

"That was an excellent display of your skill, Ryo of the Wildfire. Now let's see how you fair against Goruda, the Golden Samurai."

"Ran out of tin cans to hide behind, huh? Fine with me, Goruda," said Ryo. " _Armor of Wildfire!_ "

Summoning the full power of his armor may have been what this Golden Samurai was after, but Ryo had no choice. Goruda managed to capture his friends, and they'd all been together. There was no telling what he was capable of. The Ronin couldn't afford to make a mistake here.

Drawing the Swords of Wildfire, Ryo smoothly transitioned into a ready stance. Goruda matched him, unsheathing his own ornate sword. He was extremely confident and sure in his movements.

"Let's see just how good you really are," the evil man said.

And with that, both warriors charged each other. Ryo swung his blade at Goruda, but he managed to block it. The Golden Samurai retaliated by aiming low towards his opponent's legs. Seeing it in time, Ryo leaped up to dodge and brought his other sword down on the offending weapon. He aimed this time at Goruda's chest plate with his free sword. The taller fighter managed to avoid it, though, taking a couple steps back.

The two took advantage of the brief respite, circling each other as they tried to find an opening. Hoping to distract him, Ryo used his armor's speed to leap up over the enemy. He landed behind Goruda's back and brought down both swords swiftly. Goruda was fast enough to spin around and parry the blow, resulting in a loud clash of metal as the three swords met. Ryo pressed forward, trying to knock the sword out of the Goruda's hand, but it was obvious that wasn't going to happen. He was too strong. Wildfire changed tactics, shoving Goruda back and bringing his two swords together.

Now holding the twin swords as one, Ryo began to spin them around with a flurry of quick movements. This put Goruda on the defensive. He sidestepped every strike, his blade held off to the side in what was very clearly a casual grip, but it wasn't too long before he countered. Goruda moved in with three forceful jabs, all aimed at the Ronin's head. Ryo dodged them and raised his blades to block any more thrusts that might be coming his way. Their swords locked in combat again, the two opponents pushed forward, attempting to force the other to drop their weapons. When it became clear that neither side was going to give in, Ryo jumped back, putting distance between them.

Wildfire separated his swords as he charged forward again to meet Goruda's oncoming attack. This time when their swords met, it was with a long series of quick jabs and short slashes. The sound of metal-on-metal resounded in the otherwise quiet forest. Ryo managed to gain the upper hand for a moment, securing an opening that he right away exploited. Bringing his right arm down, he slashed Goruda across the chest, knocking him down.

"Had enough yet, Goruda?" he spat angrily.

The Golden Samurai merely chuckled. "Hardly. This is merely a small sample of what I'm capable of." He thrusted his blade into the ground. " _C_ _iris_ _i K_ _emen_ _._ "

The forest floor shook as the ground split beneath his feet. Ryo's eyes widened in shock, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The earth erupted, sending the Ronin flying. He screamed as his body was assaulted by the debris, grunting as he hit the ground hard. Ryo struggled to sit up, his body aching. White Blaze dashed over and stood protectively beside him, growling at Goruda.

The Samurai cackled. "As you can see, I'm a man of many talents, and my power will only grow stronger. Your friends are nearby, Wildfire. Even as we speak, their armors are being drained of their mystical energy."

" _What?!_ " Ryo gasped, his eyes wide with shock.

"Oh, yes. In a couple of hours, they will be dead," said Goruda. "You wish to save them? Then follow the path I mark for you. But be quick, for the longer you take, the weaker your friends become. I will be waiting, Mundane." His challenge made, the Golden Samurai vanished, leaving the two alone.

Ryo didn't move for a minute. His body was shaking. Not from fear, but from rage. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he clenched his fists.

"Goruda… you're gonna pay for this," he growled.

The next time, he'd be ready.

The next time, Goruda was going down.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** _Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_ is the property of Sunrise. _Ronin Warriors_ is the property of Bandai Entertainment. The enemy that the Ronins confront is my own, but that's about it.

 **Author's Note:** Marco and I edited this while watching this week's episode of Arrow. We really had fun speculating about the status of the Bat Fam, based on some info Oliver dropped on us.

Okay, now let's talk Ronin Warriors, since that's what you're all here for. Two more chapters to go in this story. If you're liking what you're reading, leave a review. I'll respond to as many as I can.

* * *

 **The Crystal of Nix  
** **by Jake the Fearless Leader**

 **Chapter** **Five  
** " **Running Out of Time"**

Ryo and White Blaze wasted no time in getting back to Mia's. Goruda had said that the other Ronins only had a couple hours left. If he was going to save them, Ryo had to act fast.

Mia was stunned to hear that there was a new enemy, but quickly focused on the matter at hand. She insisted on relocating the discussion to her office. Once there, she accessed the internet and started looking up maps of the location.

"Goruda must be keeping the others close by," she explained. "He wants you to find them. If we can get a good idea of what's over that way, we may be able to narrow down the search."

"Sounds good, Mia, but we need to hurry," said Ryo. "I don't know how long the guys can hold out."

"Don't give up on them, Ryo. You've all been through worse than this," she reminded him.

Ryo sighed, slightly frustrated. He knew she was right. Their battles with Talpa had been pretty bad. They'd nearly been killed more than once. But at least they never had to worry about being up against a clock. Sure, he and Rowen had agreed that getting to Sage, Cye, and Kento as quickly as possible was in their best interest, but Talpa had never specifically told them that there was a time limit. The pressure to find his friends was putting the Ronin leader on edge.

"Wait, is that…?" Mia began, looking closer at one of the maps. She quickly zoomed in on the area to confirm what she was seeing. "I knew it!"

"What is it? Did you find something?" asked Ryo, moving behind her so he could look over her shoulder.

"I think so. Look here. There's a series of caves along that mountain," Mia told him. "Goruda must be keeping them prisoner in one of those caverns."

"He said he'd leave me a trail to follow, so we'll know which one it is when we get there," said Ryo.

"Your armor should also be able to sense theirs the closer we get," she added.

"Right. Come on. Let's get going." Ryo started heading for the door.

"Hold on! You can't just go running off. You'll be playing right into Goruda's hands."

"Mia, we don't have time to come up with a plan. The longer we take, the weaker the guys get," argued Ryo, turning back.

Mia was standing now, a strict look on her face. "I know, but going off half-cocked is exactly what he wants you to do. You said he wanted your armor power, too. He's using the others as bait to lure you into a trap."

"Yeah, I got that. And you're right. I can't let him get the best of me," Ryo admitted. "So what do we do? How can I outsmart him?"

"I think I have an idea. It might be risky, though," said Mia.

"At this point, I'm up for anything."

"I'll explain on the way," said Mia as she crossed over to Ryo. The two raced down to the jeep, White Blaze following at their heels.

The mountain range, unfortunately, was a good distance away from the Koji house. Mia drove as fast and safely as she could, well aware that time was an issue. Even so, it was nearly an hour before they came upon their first clue.

The highway had been blasted apart, leaving a huge crater in the middle of the road. Mia slammed on the breaks, and the jeep jerked to a stop. Ryo got out of the vehicle to survey the damage.

"Definitely Goruda's handiwork," he muttered as Mia opened her door and joined him.

"I guess that's what he meant when he said he would leave a trail for you," she said.

"Yeah, but which way do we go now?" Ryo cast his gaze around the area, seeing nothing but trees.

White Blaze walked along the edge of the forest, searching. A sudden glint of light caught his keen eyes. He sniffed at the foreign object in the grass and then growled to alert the Ronin leader.

"What is it, boy?" asked Ryo. He went over to the tiger and immediately saw what had made White Blaze call him.

A golden arrow lay abandoned in the grass. Ryo would recognize it anywhere. It was one of Rowen's. He looked up, staring into the forest. There was a dirt path leading straight through the trees, possibly all the way to the mountain.

"Think the jeep can make it?" he asked.

Mia studied the path before she nodded. "Definitely. Come on!"

Quickly, the two got back into the jeep. This time, White Blaze lead the way as they drove down the trail, heading deeper into the forest.

There was no way to be sure how much time had passed. Every minute seemed like an eternity.

Cye shook his head to try and shake off the dizziness that assaulted him. They were becoming more frequent. Between that and his shaky legs, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to stay on his feet.

Granted, he was in the best shape when compared to the others. Kento had passed out a while ago, what was most likely an hour after Goruda began the ritual (though that might not have been accurate - again, time basically had no meaning at this point). Sage wasn't doing much better. He was slumped in the back corner of the cage, desperately fighting against the pull of the darkness creeping along the edges of his mind. Rowen was doing okay for the moment, but the room wouldn't stop spinning around him. It felt like his blood pressure was bottoming out. Not exactly reassuring.

"How much longer do you think?" asked Rowen breathlessly.

"Not sure. Probably not much," said Cye honestly. He could have attempted to lie, but there was no way he could have made it sound convincing.

Sage groaned as another wave of exhaustion rolled over him. It was getting harder to think. Why couldn't he go to sleep again? He knew Rowen had said something about it earlier, but he couldn't remember. And he didn't have the strength to talk, so he couldn't ask.

"We have to get out of here before it's too late," said Cye, looking around for something that might help. His eyes fell on the Crystal of Nix, glowing brighter than it had been before now that the power of the Ronin Armors was flowing through it. "Maybe if we destroy the Crystal -"

"No, we don't know what kind of backlash that could cause," said Rowen. "Besides, we need to conserve our energy. Attacking the Crystal would only drain us faster."

Cye leaned his head against the cage and sighed softly. He knew Strata was right, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. He couldn't just sit there and wait for help to come. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in Ryo (after all, he'd been the one to point out to Goruda how stupid he'd been for ignoring the fact that Wildfire would be angered by their capture), but he was aware of how powerful their enemy was. Ryo was going up against him alone. Those weren't the best odds.

His vision blurred and, suddenly, he was seeing double. Cye moaned audibly as he squeezed his eyes shut. Sitting. Sitting was quickly becoming a wonderful idea. But when he opened his eyes, he found that he was all ready on his knees. He hadn't even felt his legs give out from under him.

He must have been out of it for a while because the first thing he noticed was how much worse the situation had become. Sage had gone completely limp, his head resting with his chin near his left shoulder. His pale purple eyes were closed. Rowen was laying down on his side, but he was awake. His eyes were only half-open, though, and fixed on a single spot across the room. His complexion was stark white. He kept mumbling under his breath, most likely urging himself not to fall unconscious.

Cye grunted as he shifted himself into a more comfortable position. This was… this was bad, really bad. They had to get out of there now.

"Where are you, Ryo?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_ is the property of Sunrise. _Ronin Warriors_ is the property of Bandai Entertainment. The enemy that the Ronins confront is my own, but that's about it.

 **Author's Note:** Decided to upload the last two chapters tonight in honor of Starlight Keyblade, the administrator of the Samurai Heart Wiki. Happy Birthday, Starlight!

Won't take up too much of your time, so let's get right to it!

* * *

 **The Crystal of Nix  
** **by Jake the Fearless Leader**

 **Chapter** **Six  
** " **Wildfire to the Rescue"**

The path through the woods lead directly to the mountains. There was a clearing with enough space to park the jeep. Carved into the mountainside were three separate cave entrances, set equidistant to each other. Completely identical.

Goruda's trail stopped cold.

Mia scoffed. "Oh, of course there's more than one cave. That would have made it way too easy."

"The guys have to be in one of them. Question is, which one?" wondered Ryo aloud.

The two were standing in front of the jeep, staring at the choices before them. White Blaze was sniffing around in order to try and pick up the scent. When he failed to find anything, he trudged back over returned to Ryo's side. The Ronin absently rested his hand on the tiger's back.

"You might be able to sense their armors from here," suggested Mia.

"Yeah, it's worth a shot," Ryo agreed. He closed his eyes and concentrated. At first, he felt nothing, which almost made him panic. What if they were too late? It had taken them nearly two hours to get there. The guys could all ready be dead.

 _Damn it, Wildfire, don't think like that! Focus!_ he scolded himself. None of that was helping. He couldn't lose hope now.

 _Righteousness…_

There! He could feel his armor pulling him towards the middle cave. The connection was weak, but he could sense at least one of the others inside. Ryo concentrated harder, trying to get a clearer picture. Was that… the Armor of Torrent?

"Okay, I got a lock on Cye," Ryo said, opening his eyes, "but I can't sense the others."

Mia's eyes betrayed her worry, despite her pensive expression. "If Cye's in there, then the others have to be, too, or at least close by. Cye should know where," she said.

"Right, then I'm going in," said Ryo.

"Be careful. Stick to the plan," Mia reminded him.

"Got it," he replied, heading off towards the center cavern with White Blaze.

The plan. Ryo wasn't thrilled with it, even though he'd agreed that a risky strategy was better than going in blind. The first part was to find the four missing Ronins and hopefully get them to safety before Goruda showed up. Once the guys were out of the line of fire, Ryo would challenge the Golden Samurai. With any luck, his friends would have enough power to call upon the White Armor. If not, then the Armor of Wildfire would have to make due. There were a lot "What If?" scenarios involved with this plan, almost too many. However, both Ryo and Mia agreed that it was the best they could come up with. If something went wrong, they'd just have to deal with it.

Ryo and White Blaze moved as quickly as they dared through the dark tunnel. There was very little light, mostly coming from the entrance, and the deeper they went, the darker it became. It took too long for the Ronin's eyes to adjust, but fortunately, the tiger was quite capable of leading him in the right direction.

For a few minutes, Ryo was concerned that the tunnel would suddenly split off into a series of multiple paths, but it never did. It appeared to be a straight shot into the heart of the mountain. That actually made it easier to navigate their way through. Small favors.

The link between the Wildfire and Torrent Armors was becoming stronger the further in they got. It still wasn't anywhere near what it should be, which meant nothing good for Cye. Still, at least Ryo knew he was on the right path, especially as he could now sense the presence of the other three. It was faint, however, much weaker than what he was feeling from Cye. His panic flaring, Wildfire ran the rest of the way down the tunnel, White Blaze hot on his heels.

The tunnel opened up to a large cavern, and Ryo skidded to a stop about a foot inside. There was light here, offered by several candles that lined the walls, as well as eight colored candles located in the middle of the space. These eight surrounded a glowing crystal that sat upon an alter. The crystal cast the most light, though it barely reached the edge of what was obviously a ritual space. Tearing his eyes away from it, he saw the metal cage beyond the alter. And, trapped inside, were all four Ronin Warriors.

"Oh, God… Guys!" Ryo exclaimed as he sprinted over to them.

Cye looked up as he approached, looking slightly confused initially before he recognized the Ronin leader. "Ryo, you made it," he said softly, relieved.

"Yeah, Cye. I'm here," said Wildfire. He knelt down beside the cage to be at eye level with the older Ronin, his gaze shifting over to the others as he did so. This was bad. Rowen, Sage, and Kento were out cold. They were still alive - he could see their chests moving as they breathed and he could sense their life forces through his armor link - but they had nearly been drained of all their power. "Okay, time to bust you guys outta there."

"Easier said than done," Cye told him. "Kento tried to break the bars before. I don't know what they're made of, but they wouldn't budge."

Ryo eyes the cage critically as he tried to think. Goruda had come prepared, all right, if he'd found some sort of metal that could withstand the Warrior of Strength.

Wait, metal?

"I might be able to melt it," he said. "Hang on." Ryo stood up and called upon his armor once more. " _Armor of Wildfire!_ "

He placed his hands on two of the bars once the transformation was complete. The Ronin leader took a deep breath as he began to concentrate. His power pooled within him. Heat began to radiate from his armor. And, slowly, the bars beneath his fingers became pliant. Ryo pulled at them, snapping the two bars clean off. He repeated the process a few more times until he'd created an opening large enough to fit two mystical armors through at once.

"All right, let's go," said Ryo as he went to enter the cage.

"Not so fast, Wildfire. Did you really think rescuing your friends would be so easy?"

Ryo spun around to see that the Golden Samurai had appeared behind him. His tiger blue eyes hardened into an angry glare while Torrent tensed up behind him.

"Goruda," whispered Cye.

"Yeah, should've guessed he'd show up," Ryo said.

"You should have stayed away, boy. You would have been able to keep your powers a bit longer. Instead, you chose to walk right into my trap," smirked Goruda gleefully.

"Yeah, because I'd never abandon my friends. Not that you'd know anything about that," retorted Ryo.

"Friendship is a weakness," the Golden Samurai sneered. "The only thing that matters is power. And once I've added yours to the collective, I shall become the most powerful being in all the realms!"

"Dream on!" said Ryo as he unsheathed his Swords of Wildfire.

"Ryo, be careful," Cye warned.

"I'll be fine. Just stay there and try to stay awake," the Ronin leader ordered. He glanced over at the tiger. "White Blaze, you keep an eye on the guys for me, okay?"

White Blaze purred in response, entering the cage and standing guard next to Cye.

Wildfire lunged forward, but Goruda was ready for him. He stepped out of the Ronin's path with a cackle and backhanded him. Ryo fell to the ground, but recovered quickly.

"That was a pathetic effort, Ryo of the Wildfire. I know you can do better than that."

Ryo growled, taking a slow step to his right as the two fighters began to circle each other. "I'm just getting started, Goruda. By the time I'm done with you, you'll regret having hurt my friends."

"Is that so?" Goruda seemed to be amused. "You're not exactly in a position to be making threats." He unsheathed his own blade and prepared a ready stance. "Come, boy. Show me what you're capable of."

He decided to take the Golden Samurai up on that offer. Charging forward, Ryo swung his blade at his opponent. Goruda blocked the strike with his own blade and pushed the Ronin back. Ryo stumbled slightly, though managed to regain his footing. Not fast enough, however, as Goruda swung his sword into the Ronin's chest plate. The shockwave sent Wildfire flying into the cave wall. Ryo pushed himself back onto his feet as the Golden Samurai cackled.

"Laugh it up, Goruda, because you won't be in a minute," said Ryo, and he jabbed both blades simultaneously, catching his enemy off-guard. Goruda jumped back, his hand gripping his chest where Ryo's swords had struck him.

The two opponents barely took time to catch their breaths before they charged each other again. Metal clashed against metal as their swords met over and over again, neither side yielding. Ryo swiftly parried another hit with one sword while swinging the other at Goruda's face. The Golden Samurai ducked in time to avoid the strike. He retaliated by grabbing Ryo's left arm and jabbing the hilt of his sword into the Ronin's stomach. Winded, the Warrior of Fire sagged in his enemy's grip.

"Ryo!" cried Cye.

"You Mundane children are undeserving of the mystical armors. You are not worthy of the power they grant you," sneered Goruda. He released his hold, and Ryo slumped to the ground, panting heavily. "Once I relieve you of it, all will be as it should. It'll be as though the Ronin Warriors never existed."

"That's never gonna h-happen," gasped Ryo. He struggled to get back on his feet. "I'm not giving up."

"No, I didn't think you would," acknowledged Goruda, "which will make my victory that much sweeter."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but this is one fight you're not gonna win," Wildfire declared confidently.

"Oh, but I think you'll find that I will win. You may be strong, Wildfire, but you can't beat me without your friends. And considering their power is currently being absorbed into the Crystal of Nix, they're not going to be joining you any time soon." Goruda raised his sword, pointing the tip at the Ronin. "But don't worry. You'll be reunited with them soon…. once I'm done toying with you."

"You want my armor's power that badly? Then you're gonna have to kill me," Ryo stated.

Goruda smirked. "Very well. Have it your way."

The Golden Samurai attacked again, but Ryo quickly dove out of the way and parried the blow. He slashed one of his blades at Goruda's knees, forcing his opponent to stumble. The Ronin took advantage of the moment to leap away from the wall. However, Goruda recovered fast. Swinging his golden weapon, he managed to knock Wildfire off his feet again.

" _P_ _ent_ _ë_ _nín_ _makla_ _di_ _funda_ _._ "

Instantly, the golden blade in his hand came alive with crackling energy. The Golden Samurai laughed wildly as he thrust the charged weapon at Ryo. Bolts of lightning shot out of the tip of the blade, aiming directly for the Ronin. Wildfire couldn't get away fast enough, and he screamed in pain as the attack electrocuted him. It didn't last long, but considering how powerful Goruda claimed to be, Ryo suspected that the only reason he was still alive was because of the Wildfire Armor.

"I think it's time to finally put an end to this," said Goruda. " _D_ _amb_ _cál_ _ë_ _._ "

The room was suddenly bathed in bright light. Ryo groaned as he tried to shield his eyes. From inside the cage, White Blaze growled as Cye shut his eyes tight and buried his face into the tiger's fur. Goruda, though, had no problem seeing through the glare. He sneered at the helpless Ronin of Fire as he prepared another spell.

" _S_ _uada_ _vi_ _hî_ _th_ _ye_ _dú_ _ath_ _nín_ _makla_ _._ "

At one, a thick purple fog covered the cavern. Through squinting eyelids, Ryo watched as the Golden Samurai's sword flared with black energy. The bright glare was finally fading just as Goruda stepped into the thick mist, seemingly vanishing from sight.

Two could play at that game. Ryo slowly got up, but remained crouched low to the ground. He carefully crept towards the alter, doing everything he could not to make a sound. Moving wasn't easy. His body ached from the lightning that struck him. Still, he managed to persevere.

"I see that you are also using my mist to hide yourself, Wildfire," chuckled Goruda. "Do not think that will save you. It's only a matter of time before I find you."

 _Not unless I find you first,_ Ryo thought to himself. That was the only way out of this. If he could catch Goruda off guard, he might have a chance.

" _É_ _na_ _gwam_ _ad_ _panti_ _ë_ _nín_ _goth._ "

The Ronin felt the effects of this spell before he saw it. Goruda had summoned a strong breeze to blow away the mist. If he didn't act soon, the Golden Samurai would find him.

"The mist won't protect you much longer, Ronin! Face me!"

There! Goruda had moved to just the other side of the alter. It was now or never.

Bringing his twin swords together, Ryo leaped into the air and unleashed the full power of his armor.

" _Fury of Wildfire!_ "

Flames poured out of the Swords of Wildfire, forming a beam that engulfed the Golden Samurai. Goruda cried out in surprise, not having anticipated such an attack. Ryo landed safely on the ground as the fire faded, panting slightly. Anxiously, he waited to see what the outcome would be.

He didn't have to wait long. Goruda stood among a large pile of boulders. The ground and part of the cavern had been torn apart. Unfortunately, besides for his face guard, which was cracked down the middle, the Golden Samurai was unharmed.

"Damn it," muttered Ryo, getting into a defensive position.

"A valiant effort, Wildfire. Too bad it was in vain," Goruda told him. "Perhaps it would have done more damage had you been at your peak."

"What?" said Ryo, confused.

Goruda cackled gleefully. "Have you not noticed? No, I guess not, as you've been giving it your all. Maybe you thought it was the battle that was tiring you?"

Cye gasped quietly, understanding what the Golden Samurai was trying to tell them. "The Crystal…" He gripped the bars tightly as he shouted, "Ryo! The Crystal! It's draining your power!"

"Correct, Torrent," congratulated Goruda. "From the moment you entered this cave, the Crystal of Nix has been absorbing the mystical energy from the Armor of Wildfire. So, you see, you never stood a chance."

Ryo stood in stunned silence. He could feel it now. His knees were shaking. His arms trembled as they strained to keep his swords held up. He was weakening. How hadn't he noticed before? Was it the adrenaline, maybe? Either way, it was time to end this. He might not have as much strength, but this fight wasn't over yet.

"Goruda, I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!" he cried out, readying his stance before launching another assault.

The Golden Samurai parried the twin blades. Then, he swung his sword and caught Wildfire in his chest plate, knocking the Ronin back. Ryo pushed himself up only to find the enemy's weapon pointing directly at his neck. The Ronin leader froze, not daring to move.

Cye continued to watch from inside the cage. There had to be something he could do. Ryo wasn't going to last much longer. But what could be done? He was practically helpless with the Crystal draining his power.

Or maybe not. Ryo was still fighting, however, if all he needed was more power, Cye could provide it. But with the others unconscious, there was no way they could summon the Inferno. Unless he could force the remaining power in their armors to link with his and then transfer all their power into Ryo.

It was worth a shot.

Cye closed his eyes as he began to focus on his power. It was more difficult to do than usual, due to his weakened state, but that only made him more determined. He could do this.

 _Trust…_

It was working. Cye could feel his armor calling out the the other three. One at a time, the armors linked to his.

 _Wisdom…_

 _Grace_ _…_

 _Justice_ _…_

With the Strata, Halo, and Hardrock Armors now active, it was time to take this fight to the next level. Cye began to channel his armor power towards Ryo. He could feel the other armors doing the same in response to him. The four Ronins were suddenly engulfed in colorful light emanating from their armors.

Sensing the all-too familiar mystical energy, Ryo glanced over towards the cage. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the swirling light blue, green, orange, and dark blue beams of light flying towards him. He knew what was coming.

The power of the five Ronin Armors became one. The Armor of Wildfire vanished as Ryo's sub-armor turned black. In a blaze of fire, the White Armor of Inferno formed around him. As the transformation was completed, White Blaze shifted into Black Blaze and hurried forward to provide the Soul Swords of Fervor. Ryo pulled the weapons from their sheaths on the tiger's armor. He stood tall, prepared to enter the fray again.

If Goruda was intimidated, he wasn't showing it. He was still just as arrogant and confident in his stance. "The Inferno Armor…" he said, smirking. "I've always wondered if I could best it. I guess now's as good a time as any to find out."

"Bring it!" exclaimed Ryo.

The battle resumed, but this time both sides were even. Ryo and Goruda matched each other blow-for-blow. The Ronin landed a solid hit across his opponent's chest. Goruda responded in kind by slashing at Ryo's right shoulder. He aimed another strike towards the teen's legs, missing as the Ronin spun himself out of the way. This put Ryo behind the Golden Samurai. Taking advantage of his position, he stabbed Goruda in the small of his back, which knocked him to the ground. His golden sword skidded across the cave floor.

Growling in frustration, Goruda pushed himself back to his feet. He leveled a dark glare at the Ronin leader. His golden-green eyes spoke volumes - he had something nasty up his sleeve.

" _L_ _úto_ _as_ _nén_ _._ "

A rumble shook the cave as a gigantic wave of water surrounded Ryo. He was completely submerged within seconds. Breathing wasn't going to be an issue, fortunately, but the Inferno's power was fire-based. There was no way Ryo could launch any attacks like this. All Goruda had to do was summoning another lighting spell, and he was toast.

A soft glow from his left had the Ronin glancing down at his arm. It was radiating with power, turning the white of his armor light blue. Instantly, the liquid surrounding him began to dissipate. As Ryo watched, understanding dawned on him. Cye held power over water. The Torrent Armor had saved him.

"Impossible!" the Golden Samurai yelled as his spell broke completely.

"You never should have messed with us, Goruda," Ryo informed him.

The Warrior of Fire charged at the Samurai. He swiped the Soul Swords at him, forcing Goruda to go on the defensive to avoid taking any serious hits. He tried to land a few punches, but it was obvious physical fighting wasn't his strong suite. Ryo was hardly scratched by the blows. Eventually, the two had made their way towards the alter. Thinking quickly, the Ronin thrusted his blades forward. Goruda was knocked off his feet and landed hard amongst the ritual space, knocking over all eight candles in a domino effect. Ryo jumped back before he could recover and once more fused his twin swords together.

" _Fury of Wildfire!_ "

A wave of fire engulfed the entire ritual space. Goruda screamed loudly. The entire cavern trembled under the assault from the Inferno. For one moment, Ryo worried the ceiling would cave in on them, but it held firm. And as the flames died out, he was able to observe the damage. The alter had been destroyed, the candles nothing but splotches of colorful wax on the dirt. The Crystal of Nix was shattered into several fragments that laid scattered around the space. It had lost it's beautiful gleam, now dull and faded.

Nothing remained of the Golden Samurai.

The power and strength of the White Armor faded, leaving Ryo back in the Armor of Wildfire. He breathed a sight of relief. Then he hurried over to the cage, stepping through the opening and crossing directly to where Cye sat slumped against the bars.

"Cye, you okay?" he asked, kneeling down.

The Warrior of Trust slowly opened his eyes, meeting Ryo's concern with a small grin. "Y-yeah, more or less," he responded.

Ryo returned the grin and clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Think you can hang on a little longer? I wanna get the guys out of here first."

"I'll be f-fine," Cye said, nodding his consent. Bad idea. He groaned, closing his eyes tight as the cave began to spin around him again. Ryo gripped his shoulder tightly while he road out the wave of dizziness. "You go on."

"Are you sure?" Ryo questioned. He didn't like how pale Cye had suddenly gotten.

"Yeah. The others are pro-probably in w-worse shape than m-me," said Cye, trying to ignore the slur in his voice. "G-go."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Ryo turned to look at White Blaze. "Stay with him, boy." Hearing the tiger growl in response, he turned his attention to the other three Ronins.

Ryo had to carry Rowen, Sage, and Kento out of the cavern one at a time. Between their powers being drained by the Crystal of Nix and the usual exhausting side effects of the Inferno, they weren't going to be waking up any time soon. At first, Mia panicked when she first saw Kento draped over Ryo's back, but calmed down once Wildfire explained what had happened. Together, they got their friends into the jeep. It was only once they were settled that Ryo went back for Cye. With no room left in the jeep, he sent Mia on ahead while the two Ronins rode back on White Blaze.

At the house, Ryo managed to wake the guys a little bit. They weren't exactly coherent, but they understood enough to banish their armors. Afterwards, Ryo got them all safely tucked away in their beds. Cye had kept himself from passing out by sheer force of will, which Wildfire knew had to be difficult, and only drifted off once he climbed into his own bed. Ryo stayed vigilant for about an hour, continually checking on his friends before deciding to call it a night. With the guys back, he could finally rest easy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** _Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_ is the property of Sunrise. _Ronin Warriors_ is the property of Bandai Entertainment. The enemy that the Ronins confront is my own, but that's about it.

 **Author's Note:** And that's it. Thanks to everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please, be sure to leave a comment, positive or negative. I'll respond to it either way. And, as always, thank you to my bud Marco CoolDude for all the editing. I'm pretty sure I've converted you into a Ronin Warriors fan, lol.

* * *

 **The Crystal of Nix  
** **by Jake the Fearless Leader**

 **Epilogue**

Battles were exhausting. It always took time for the Ronin Warriors to recover whenever they defeated a powerful Dynasty overlord. This time was no exception. As Ryo woke up that morning, his body let him know that it was still feeling the electric shocks. He'd had worse, though, so he did his best to ignore the soreness.

After changing into his favorite red sweater and his jeans, he left his room to go check on his friends. The four were right where he'd left them the previous night, though it seemed as though Cye had at least shifted in his sleep. Content that they were all on the mend, Ryo headed down to the kitchen to join Mia for breakfast. She had made enough for the others, as well, just in case they woke up at some point during the morning. Ryo helped clean up after they ate, which allowed Mia to head up to her office earlier than she'd anticipated. She had work to do for her classes. This meant Ryo was left to his own devices. He decided to finish his homework in the living room, and then turned on a soccer game when he was done.

It was just about time for lunch when Cye walked into the living room, fully dressed and appearing alert. "Hey," he greeted.

Ryo stared at him, surprised. "Cye, what are you doing up? You should be resting," he said.

"Ryo, relax. I'm okay," he said with a reassuring grin. "I wasn't drained as much as the guys."

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Ryo, analyzing the older Ronin. He certainly had more color in his cheeks than he had the night before.

"Yes." Cye moved into the kitchen. "I told Mia that I'd make lunch so she could keep working. Want anything in particular?"

"Nah, I'm good with whatever," said Ryo, relaxing back into the couch. If Cye was up to cooking, then he was definitely feeling better.

Between the two of them, Ryo and Cye managed to wake the others long enough to get them to eat a little cream stew. It wasn't much, but at the very least, it would help them recover faster. Mia had all ready said that school was out of the question for the next day, at least, though Ryo and Cye would be able to go. That brought little joy to the Warrior of Trust.

Some time later, the two Ronins found themselves out on the dock by the lake. Cye told Ryo everything that had gone down the day before - the arrival of the bronze soldiers, Goruda's tricking them into attacking, and his reason for wanting the power of their armors. Ryo listened with growing incredulity.

"So, all he really wanted was to get stronger?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean, you heard him. He was obsessed with becoming all-powerful," said Cye.

"I know, I just thought he had something else up his sleeve that he wasn't sharing with the rest of us." Ryo looked over at the older teen. "So, any idea why you weren't zapped as badly as the guys?"

Cye exhaled slowly. "No, not a clue. Kento passed out almost right away. Sage and Rowen weren't that far behind him. But I was okay for a while, at least until we summoned the Inferno."

"Hmm. Weird," Ryo said thoughtfully. He watched as Cye started pulling off his sneakers and socks. "What are you doing?"

"Thought I'd go for a swim," he said, pulling off his shirt. "You wanna join me?"

"No, thanks, I'll stay here."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Cye flashed his leader a grin before diving into the lake.

The moment he hit the water, he could feel the rest of his strength return to him. Sure, getting a good night's sleep had helped, but Cye knew from experience that his element healed him faster. He'd relied on it often during the war with Talpa. And, thanks to the power of his armor, he had no problems breathing underwater, even while not in sub-armor, so he could stay under as long as he wanted.

Cye swam down towards the lakebed, laying himself flat on his back across the sand. This was one of his favorite things to do underwater. He loved staring up at the surface, watching the glittering sun. It was the most beautiful sight in the world, the only thing that could calm him when his ADHD proved to be too much. The fish that made their home in the lake swam around him, used to the presence of the Ronin of Water. He'd done this quite often since moving into Mia's.

Cye could have spent the whole day down there, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. He knew that Ryo was waiting for him. No need to feed Wildfire's paranoia. So pushing himself up, Torrent swam up to the surface and his way over to the dock.

"Hey, it's about time. I was starting to think you fell asleep down there or something," joked Ryo, though the relief on his face was visible.

"How long was I down there?" Cye asked as he pulled himself onto the dock.

"Little over an hour," replied Ryo.

"An hour?" Wow, no wonder the other Ronin had been concerned. Cye hadn't meant to stay that long.

"Good thing you can't drown, huh?" Ryo laughed as Cye started using his armor power to dry himself off.

"Yeah, sorry. Guess I lost track of time," apologized Cye.

"Don't sweat it," Ryo told him. "It's gotta be easy to do, with no clocks down there and all."

Cye nodded in agreement. "There's just something about being in the water. I feel like it's the only place where I can really clear my head," he explained. "The strangest thing about it? I've always felt like that, as far back as I can remember, before I even discovered the Armor of Torrent."

"Yeah?"

"Hmm. Before the accident, Dad used to take me out on the Hagi Sea. He bought this cabin cruiser, and every Saturday afternoon, we'd pack lunch and go, just the two of us. Sometimes we'd stay out overnight if the weather was clear."

Silence fell between them as Ryo watched Cye carefully. He never spoke about his father, always saying that the memories were too painful. For him to open up like this…

But Ryo could see the tears forming in his friend's sea green eyes, even as he pulled on his shirt to hide them. Time to change the subject.

"Come on, we should head back and check on the guys," said Ryo, standing up.

"Yeah, right," Cye agreed quickly. He picked up his shoes and socks, not bothering to put them back on, and walked besides his leader as they returned to the house. "So, do you think that's the last we'll hear from the Nether Realm?"

Ryo sighed heavily. "I want to say yes, but somehow, I doubt it," he said. "Hopefully, the next one won't show up for a while."

"Yeah," agreed Cye.

As the two Ronin Warriors entered the house, they failed to notice the unnatural solar eclipse that was just beginning in the sky.


End file.
